


The Chains are On: Royal

by luanfrag



Category: Persona 5, ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Genre: Cop Higashikata Josuke (JoJo: Diamond is Unbreakable), Metaverse Rules different from game, Multi, Stand Battles (JoJo), Trying to come up with cool stand names, What if the Phantom Thieves had stands instead of Personas?, royal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:14:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25411459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luanfrag/pseuds/luanfrag
Summary: (Persona/Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Crossover) Akira Kurusu, accused of a crime he didn't commit, arrives at Tokyo with the weight of despair and injustice on his back. But when he finds a hidden power inside him, he and his comrades will embark in a quest to clean the evil that lurks inside the depths of society and break the chains of destiny. (Royal Spoilers)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or JJBA. Also, read the Author's Notes.**

**Prologue**

* * *

"Come here, kitty. I'm not gonna hurt you", Akira softly called, his eyes adjusting to the darkness of the dimly lit street and making out the form of the small feline in front of him.

The black furry animal stared at him with yellow piercing eyes, readying itself to either fight or flight. From the corner it was standing on, there were few options for an escapade, the most prominent one being jumping the fence behind it and running for its life. Akira stood on one knee, making strange 'psst' sounds with his mouth while keeping his posture as least threatening as possible, trying to convince the cat that he only wanted to pet it . He liked cats, that was a fact, but it was unusual for him to simply go out of his way and try to pet the first stray he found on the street. Usually, the calm and aloof sixteen years old boy would walk casually without looking to his sides or paying any attention to the small details that composed his small hometown. And _small_ it was, the kind of town where everyone knew each other, where your friend's parents were also lifelong friends who went out together for high school reunions, where no gossip would slip unnoticed. One of such gossips would certainly surface on the next morning, given Akira's certainty that one of Aiko's neighbors had peeked through his windows the exact moment that the girl had stopped besides him in front of her house and…

He smiled. 'Let them talk', he thought: it wouldn't make him less happy about the whole thing, given that his joy had been enough to make him stop halfway through the path to his home and grin like an idiot in the middle of the street. If anyone saw him doing it, the person (who probably knew him since he was a little boy, along with his parents and grandparents) would be quite shocked by the display of emotion on the usually serious and quiet boy. In truth, Akira was a very social person, despite his cold demeanor, something that came as a surprise to anyone who met him. He considered most of the student body at his school at least good acquaintances, with a couple of actual friends here and there. His grades were good, his appearance had been described as 'unorthodoxly attractive' (a statement that had both confused and flattered him), and while he wasn't any good in sports, his good attitude about it had earned the respect of the school's baseball team, even if his pitch needed a lot of working. His only 'experience' with the sport was through a really old video-game he used to play as a child.

_"Oh, That's a Baseball!",_ the game's jingle echoed on his head the moment he thought about it. He giggled at the memory.

The cat hissed at the sound, suddenly jumping on the fence and sprinting away, disappearing on the darkness. Akira sighed and lifted himself, straightening his clothes and walking away. 'Maybe i'm not a cat person after all', he mused, a small smile tugging the corner of his lips. He wasn't even sure why he had stopped in the middle of the street to interact with the feline, his only guess being that he felt particularly happy at that moment, enough so that he allowed himself to behave a little silly while no one was looking. Also, Aiko liked cats.

He slowly lifted his finger towards his lips, the warm sensation still lingering on them, even after some good ten minutes. It was his first, after all, and he was probably also one of the first among his friends to do such a feat. Oh, sure, Souji loved to boast around about how much of a sex machine he was, and Takeda swore on his unborn children that he had a date set up with Asumi, the elected 'hottest girl in school', but Akira knew they were full of shit. Hell, Akira himself usually spent his weekends reading manga and listening to music, and was comfortable with that. He felt no need to partake in the bravado.

It had been Aiko who approached him first. While her giggling friends watched from a distance, the pretty dark haired girl, wearing the usual school uniform with her own dark stockings added to the outfit (he really liked that detail), called him while he grabbed his belongings on the locker room, her disarming smile making his heart flutter. Akira had held his posture, smiling back at her while she told the boy that she had something of a crush on him, before suggesting that the two of them should hang out, have some ice-cream or catch a movie. A surprisingly bold move, considering the traditional town they grew up in: every week gossips about love letters and confessions filled the school halls, many preferring the old fashioned ways of love. Aiko was an exception, something that Akira was immensely glad: he thought that the oh-so japanese tradition was rather silly, prefering to talk about such things directly. And so, they had ice-cream, they watched a movie about a psychopath who baked for money, and Akira accompanied Aiko to her doorstep in the dead of night.

He couldn't remember the conversation they had at the front door, but he sure remembered the kiss. It had been warm and wet, a sensation he had long sought after and even so, every aspect of it came as a surprise to him, not even his wildest dreams coming close. He felt embarrassed by his own inexperience compared to the girl (who clearly knew what she was doing), but the smile she gave him afterwards made his worries disappear.

_"See you tomorrow, Akira-kun"_ , she had whispered with a smooth and warm tone, smiling. As simple as the date and those words had been, Akira found himself unable to control his own hormones for a few seconds, prompting him to bring to the forefront of him mind the most disgusting thing he could think of. Curiously, he remembered a panel from _Pink Dark Boy_ where a character had the skin of his face peeled off as if it were a book, the illustration leaving no room for imagination. The panel had creeped Akira immensely, sementing in his mind that the author truly was the genius everyone though he was. He really needed to buy the next volume.

As his body settled down, the boy resumed his pace, his mind wandering once again towards Aiko. Even with the events of the day, he still had a few questions stirring on his mind: were they dating? Should the two of them enter the class together and announce their relationship? Should he be a little bolder and suggest that they should-

_'Christ, calm down, you pervert'_ , he chided himself mentally, clicking his tongue against his teeth.

They had gone on a date, and they had kissed, that was all. He couldn't jump to conclusions just because they had known each other for years, being good acquaintances that talked from time to time, even if she did admit that she had a crush on him. This was completely new territory for him, one he should tread lightly: he didn't want her to think he was some idiot virgin who got too excited. Yes, he was the cool headed one, the one who kept his posture aways. He had to be mature about it.

_Yeah_ , right. As if he wasn't almost jumping with joy. He wondered if it was like this for everyone. God, he hoped so.

He reached for the pack of coffee flavored gums inside his pocket, chewing one as a way to keep his nerves calm. While he wasn't exactly a coffee fanboy, that particular brand had always been a favorite of his, the one with a small black and white dog as the mascot, grinning smugly at the consumer. He walked at a slow pace, as he had no need to hurry: his parents, even when they were home, didn't care much about his comings and goings, as long as his grades were good enough and he kept himself out of trouble. Long ago he had come to accept his parent's dismissive attitude, even if sometimes if felt strange having the two people who were supposed to be the most important on a children's life being so distant. Like their work was more important than their child. He couldn't complain, of course: their money kept him fed and with a roof above his head, so he simply kept those feelings buried inside him. No need to stir those matters.

He felt something vibrating inside his pocket, and quickly checked his phone for any messages. The screen displayed the name 'TAKEDA' in bold letters, making Akira sigh and open the text.

_T: 'so, you scored or nah?'_

Very blunt, as always. He quickly replied the text.

_A: 'i'll tell you tomorrow'_

_T: 'come ooon, i want the details'_

_T: 'i mean, i could do a lot better, but she's kinda hot, so good for you'_

Akira frowned for a second. While Takeda was his friend, he could be something of a jerk sometimes.

A: _'oh yeah? so tell me: how did it went with Asumi?'_

Takeda went silent for a minute, before replying.

_T: 'fricking awesome, obviously. that girl knows how to please a man, if ya catch my drift'_

Akira let out a sigh at the obvious lie: Takeda seemed to like threading some dangerous ground. If word got around that he was making such claims, then his social life was basically over, but even so the guy still kept at it. One day his bullshit would caught up with him, like Akira had warned him every time, and everytime Takeda went on the defensive, saying Akira was 'jealous' of him or something like that, while Souji simply laughed. It had begun to become a problem, with Takeda making up stories whenever he saw an opportunity to gain something, be it popularity or the attention of some girls.

Many months later, while retelling his story, Akira would still vividly remember the exact moment he was about to text Takeda back, to tell him once again to stop lying before things went out of control. That instead of lying he should, if he even had the guts, ask Asumi on an actual date. That if she turned him down, maybe he could learn some humility.

Because the moment his finger touched the phone, he heard a scream.

Akira lifted his head, the sudden sound almost making him drop his phone. He froze in place, looking around in search of the one responsible for the yell. It had been a bit muffled, but its echoes told him that the person in trouble was at the end of the street.

Akira paused again, considering his options: maybe there was a robbery occurring, or some pervert was harassing some woman (considering the scream had sounded female in origin), or perhaps both. While Akira wasn't particularly strong or skilled in an martial art, his tall figure and serious expression had more than once spared him of conflict with troublemakers, something he had an ounce of pride in. He didn't even knew if he could do something to help, considering a quick call to the police.

_"Help!",_ he heard the voice again, this time making him grit his teeth. It was a small town, with a small police corp, and it would take more than a few minutes for the to arrive at the scene. And judging by the desperation on the woman's voice, he had no time to lose.

And so, Akira decided to sprint towards the screaming woman, determination on his eyes as he quickly made his way through the narrow streets. He could hardly explain why he acted in such a manner: maybe his sense of guilt? He never liked letting people step on others, but at that time of the evening, in some dark corner of the suburbs, he could find something way more serious than some 7° grade bully or any of the assholes he had encountered in his school years. It was a small town with a practically _null_ rate of murder, so whatever was happening, it sounded pretty different from the usual crimes that happened around those parts. Some theft, some bribery, maybe domestic violence, but that was it. He wasn't in Tokyo or New York, or any big city where murder and sexual assault were unfortunately common.

His curiosity was sated as he approached the source of the ruckus: from his point of view, he saw a man trying to drag a woman inside a black car, forcibly grabbing her arm as the woman squealed and screeched. He hesitated, asserting the situation: he had never seen that man around those parts, but the woman seemed familiar somehow. Maybe a neighbor of his, getting involved with the wrong crowd and paying the price for it, suggested the cowardly part of himself. The gritted his teeth again, considering if he should help the woman or walk away: if he did help her, things could go sour for him, but if he simply walked away, no one would know.

When he considered the safe approach, he was startled by a thumping noise: his heartbeat as loud as a bell inside his chest. It taunted him momentarily, as if asking him with a booming voice:

_'Are you gonna do something, or are you going to just stand there?'_

A drop of sweat rolled on the side of his face. Was he a coward? Would that option really benefit him? Could he live with the notion that he had simply abandoned that woman to her fate in the hands of some creep?

His heart thumped again, making the decision for him. His knuckled closed shut, and he walked forward.

As he approached the duo, he could make out their features more clearly: the man was a tall and muscular, wearing a dark suit sporting yellow shades below a completely bald head, all in all looking like some businessman or politician. On his chin, a small goatee that made his snarling expression even more evident: he was stumbling to get a grasp of the woman's arm, obviously drunk or under the effect of some drug, judging by his slurred demands.

"You fucking _bitch_ ", he dragged his tongue, the effort of pulling her towards him taking its toll. As for the woman, Akira knew he recognized from somewhere: she was the daughter of one of his neighbors, a young and beautiful woman who Akira had stolen a few discreet glances whenever he saw her on his way to school. The brunette wore a blue dress that hugged her body, the standard 'club style', if there were any clubs on that town, and seemed to be desperate to free herself from the man's clutches. Her efforts were mostly in vain, as the man's physical superiority made itself clear, with him forcefully hugging her and groping the woman, earning a yelp and another screech from her.

Akira approached the duo, something stirring inside of him as the words mindlessly came out of his mouth.

"Let go of her!", he demanded, making the man lift his head in confusion, his brief moment of distraction allowing the woman to escape his grasp as run towards Akira, seeking protection behind the tall boy.

"P-please, he's drunk!", she stammered, looking at Akira with pleading eyes. "We gotta call the police!"

The man came out of his stupor, laughing ruefully at the woman's words.

"The police, you dumb skank?", he snorted, trying to support himself on the roof of his car. "Who do you think I am, huh? You think the police is gonna help you?"

He took a step forward, making Akira tense and the woman to clutch herself on his back, tears coming out of her fear struck eyes. The man turned his attention towards the boy, pointing a finger in his direction.

"And _you_ , you nosy brat!", he slurred again, his expression even more aggressive. "You should've stayed in bed like a good kid, instead of messing with my business!"

Akira's eyes narrowed, his mouth closed in an expression of disgust. The man, drunk as a skunk, was trying to intimidate him with slurred words and threats, something that gave him pause until he saw a door in a neighbor house open.

"What's going on out there?", a man's voice echoed on the street. "Stop making noise! I'm calling the police!"

Suddenly, the whole neighborhood seemed to awake in unison, many families walking out their doors to see what all the fuss was about. The bald man clicked his tongue against his teeth as the sound of a police car came from the end of the street.

"You…", he turned to look at Akira, lifting his hands and snarling menacingly at the boy, making him step back, the woman still clutching him. " _You fuckingg-"_

The man suddenly stepped on his own foot, his drunkenness betraying him as he fell face first to the ground, his nose making a wet cracking noise. Akira felt the woman flinch, as he stared with wide eyes at the scene.

"Damn, that one is completely wasted", some neighborhood woman commented, crossing her arms and snickering from the porch of her home.

"Never seen that one around these parts", another man remarked, before huffing. "Damn drunkards, loitering around our town."

As the man lifted himself up, holding his hand in front of his nose in an attempt to stop the bleeding coming from it, the police approached the scene.

"Everyone back to your homes! The situation is under control!", a tall officer yelled, but few people actually obliged. As he looked at the trio, his face went cold with realization. "S-sir? I'm sorry, I wasn't aware you were around these parts!"

Akira raised an eyebrow, confuse at the respect the officer directed towards the drunk man. Was the man his superior?

" _Argh_ , shut up, you incompetent swine!", the man roared, making the officer flinch, and pointed a finger in Akira's direction. "Arrest that kid! He punched me, that's aggression!"

"Yeah, if you count your drunk ass falling on the ground as aggression", laughed some spectator. A few laughs were heard among the crowd, making the bald man go red with rage.

"Y-you fell on your own!", the brunette behind Akira chimed in, her brows twisted in disgust at the man. "He tried to force me inside his car! He's the one who's assaulting!"

The bald man gritted his teeth, his piercing eyes boring holes on the woman, who again hid herself behind the silent Akira, who simply listened to the conversation.

"Officer", he spoke slowly, as if teaching a petulant child. "I'll give you _five seconds_ to arrest this man. You don't want to see the consequences of defying my orders."

"S-sir, I don't think we can do that", the officer meekly said, his voice now a whisper. "There's too many witnesses. If you could, perhaps, come to the police station with me, we could-"

It happened in an instant, a fleeting moment that made Akira's eyes widen in surprise. The officer wasn't able to finish the sentence, as something _invisible_ grabbed his throat, lifting him a few centimeters in the air. Akira's mouth went agape, believing his mind was playing tricks with him as he stared at the absurdity of the situation. The officer's face went red as he gasped for air, his hands clutching at the nothingness that surrounded his throat.

But not to Akira: in the fleeting moment between the officer's words and his suffocation, he saw something _impossible._

And arm made of gold, fast as a bullet.

The bald man slowly chuckled, raising his head high as the crowd around them started to gasp in terror at the policeman's struggle.

"Well, it's no surprise to see that you worms need a bit of discipline", he sneered, and at the same moment the policeman fell to the ground, gasping for air. The bald man's face took an sinister expression, a smile tugging his lips. "You don't seem to understand the position you are in, how ignorant and foolish you all are compared to someone of my caliber."

He turned to the crowd, laughing at the sight of the gasps and indignation coming from them.

"What? It is merely the truth: a strong hand is needed to steer this country towards the golden path, the path of glory", he proclaimed, before turning to look at Akira, who flinched a the man's cold gaze.

"But it seems some people take pleasure in messing with things beyond their lever. Such foolishness, to interfere with my business", he spoke in a cold tone, very different from the tone he had adopted before. His eyes bore holes in Akira's, and the boy swallowed as his eyes turned yellow for a fleeting moment. Was he hallucinating? "It seems i'll need to punish you for your meddling, you worthless brat."

The woman's behind Akira was shaking in fear, also having no clue of what the man was talking about. "W-what are you…?"

The man cleaned his bloody nose, before slowly approaching Akira, making the boy step backwards in fear. The man, who before looked like some slouched drunk, now stood tall as a tower, glaring at him with wickedness and malice. Akira's heart thumped, trying to make him act, to make him do _anything_ , but he remained frozen as something even more unbelievable happened next.

From the man's back, he saw a _blur_. A form too dim and malformed that seemed to stand beside him, the shadow of red eyes appearing where its head should be. Akira couldn't move a muscle as the form leered alongside the bald man, staring at Akira with what seemed like a killing intent.

It was golden as the sun, and the vision made Akira want to scream. But no sound came from his throat.

"I'm the one who will steer the country towards its proper path", the man continued, raising his hand as the form behind him mimicked his movement. "I'll be the one to make the sun rise again in this country of _fools and delusional brats!"_

He lifted his finger upwards and pulled it down in the form of a hook, as if tugging something. The figure did the same, making the man smile with glee while his golden eyes filled with contempt glared at Akira.

**"I am the** **『** **Heart of the Sunrise** **』** **. It will be as I command."**

Akira blinked, and everything changed.

It rained, heavy droplets falling on his face as he suddenly found himself surrounded by police officers holding his arms, making him squirm in place.

"W-what the… what is going on?", he managed to yell, earning a smack from one of his handlers.

"You're getting arrested, you little thug!", the strong officer sneered. "Don't know where you're from, but aggression is still a crime around these parts!"

Akira gasped, looking around the scene trying to understand what was happening: in one moment, there were crowds of people watching as the drunk man made a fool of himself, the single officer was on the ground, handled by some strange aura that had surrounded the man.

But now there was no one on the streets, only Akira, a dozen police officers and the bald man, who looked at him with utter contempt.

"The youth nowadays is doomed, I tell you", he sneered, accepting a tissue from an officer and cleaning his bloody nose. "I should do something about it. After all, the young ones should be our future."

Akira stammered, not understanding the situation that he was on. What the hell happened? Had he been knocked down at some point? It didn't make any sense.

"This is ridiculous! You saw him fall on his own! I'm innocent!", he yelled, trying to reason the the policeman, but they all laughed at his expense.

"What a load of bullshit, kid", another officer chuckled. "Did your mother not teach not to lie? We got a witness here: she saw everything."

Akira glanced towards his side, spotting a lone woman hugging her chest and shaking. Yes, that's right! She _knew!_ She knew he had fallen on his own, and that he was innocent!

"H-hey! You know me, i'm your neighbor! You know i'm innocent! He was drunk, you saw him fall!", he called her, making his handlers grip his arms more violently, a flinch running through his body. The woman lifted her head to look at him, her eyes wet with tears and rain.

" _Please_ , tell them the truth!", Akira pleaded upon the woman's silence. " _I'm innocent!"_

The woman stared straight into his eyes, her own struck with fear. Akira had seen her cowering behind him, clutching his shirt for protection and accusing the bald man of his crimes. He stared back at her, his eyes _imploring_ her to tell them the truth, tell them what really happened.

Her eyes were full of fear, but Akira suddenly realized that she wasn't afraid of the man, of his aggression or his word. As she stared at him with those eyes and pointed her finger at him, Akira came to a hollow realization.

She was afraid of _him_.

"H-he… was the one who punched that gentleman. I saw _everything_ ", she accused him, stammering upon his words.

Akira's world came to a still. His eyes widened, and not a single word came out of his mouth as the policeman dragged him toward the car. His clothes and hair were wet with the rain, making them clutch to his skin as they tossed him inside.

Instead of the bench, Akira found himself thrown in a large body of reddish water, sinking deeper and deeper as he struggled to breathe. His arms squirmed as he called for someone, for _anyone_ to help, as his body sank to the depths of despair.

_'Takeda! Aiko! Mom, dad! Someone, PLEASE!"_

The only answer he got was the cackling laughter of a golden giant looming above him, as the car started to make its way towards the police station.

And then, Akira Kurusu's fate was sealed.

* * *

"Master, it's cold out here", the servant holding the umbrella spoke to a small man beside him, offering his blue and yellow scarf.

The small man only giggled with interest, looking at the police car in the distance.

"Worry not, Ignatios", he replied, his tone akin to a gentle old man. The suit he wore was, surprisingly, completely dry, considering the heavy rain falling from the sky. "We will not be here for long. It seems that I have found what we came for."

Ignatios, a taller man wearing a patterned coconut hat, a blue suit and a blue and yellow scarf around his neck, glanced at his master with his yellow eyes, curiosity hidden behind his expressionless face.

"It is truly him, then?", he questioned, placing a hand on his chin. He resisted the urge to chew his nails, an habit that seemed to have accompanied him all his life, even if its origin was a mystery.

"Why, yes", the smaller man with an enormous disproportionate nose nodded, maintaining his ever present smile. "We have found the one who shall tip the balance of this game, Ignatios."

The master made a gesture in the air, the sound of cogs and gears filling the air around them as they disappeared from this world.

"We have found a _trickster."_

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**A/N:** A while back, I started a Persona 5/JJBA crossover story called 'Crimsom Crusaders', which ran for 5 or 6 chapters. Due to reasons beyond my control, that story no longer exists. This is a **reboot** of that story, so don't be confused by the description.


	2. Excuse Me While I Kiss the Sky

**Chapter 1:**

**Excuse Me While I Touch the Sky Pt. 1**

* * *

As the wagon stirred in its tracks, Akira was brought off his uncomfortable sleep by a sharp headache that lasted several seconds, making him remove the earpieces blaring with music from his ear and place a hand on his forehead in an attempt to sooth the pain. It didn't work.

He sighed as he looked at his surroundings, the train car packed with salaryman, high school students and all sorts of people chatting, sleeping or on their phones. To his right, a tall man rested his head against the window and seemed to be having a grand old nap, something that made Akira jealous: it had been weeks since he had had a proper night of sleep. The fear and the anxiety were to thank for that, and for the bags under his eyes and his general mood as well. It had been rough. He considered checking his phone for the tenth time that day, but decided it was pointless: he had deleted most of his social media accounts in anger, not wanting to be bombarded by accusations and moral lessons from former friends, colleagues, teachers and assholes in general. The unfairness of it all made him shake in fury, but he quickly subdued his feelings.

Keep quiet, keep your head down and don't cause trouble.

" _Your heard about that mental shutdown thing? They said it's a curse or something!"_ , some schoolgirl commented, loud enough so Akira could listen.

" _Yeah, scary, if you believe in that stuff."_

" _You mean you don't?"_

" _Of course not! You just believe in this occult stuff too easy!"_

They laughed at that, Akira quickly losing interest in the conversation. Rumours never did anyone any good.

After a while, the train began to stop, a robotic voice announcing its arrival at Shibuya station, Akira's destination. He hugged his pack and brought his legs together, trying to make space for the crowd that was now leaving the wagon and bumping into each other carelessly. Akira waited patiently, rising from his seat when he found an opportunity to squeeze himself out of the wagon. Before he could do that, some fat guy bumped into him, making him fall back to his seat once again with a thud and a groan. His glasses slipped from his head, bouncing on his lap, falling to the ground and being summarily squashed by some salaryman's foot before Akira could even try to grab it.

He sat there for long seconds, staring at the broken object on the ground, before picking it up and holding the fragments in front of him. He tightened his grips, nails and glass cutting the palms of his hands, his teeth gritted as he fought to keep himself calm. He did not actually _needed_ the glasses: it was simply an idea he had, an accessory to make him look less menacing and more fragile as a way to dispel the rumors he _knew_ were coming. And right now, the whole idea was about to go down, as Akira felt the sudden urge to scream, destroy, hurt and causa as much pain as possible to all those who turned their backs on him.

Fuck his parents. Fuck Souji. Fuck Takeda. Fuck Aiko. Fuck the unjust police. _Fuck them._

Before Akira could release any of the anger that dwelled inside him, the man that slept on the seat next to him woke up with a loud yawn, distracting the boy.

" _Crap_ ", he moaned, cracking his neck a rubbing his eyes. "Shouldn't have slept on the bench, now i'm all stiff."

Akira blinked, turning his head sideways to look at the man who now stretched himself. He was tall, he could tell even when the man was sitting, and had handsome facial features complemented by a head of purple-ish hair, styled in a pompadour with sidecuts, a haircut quite popular nowadays, along with a single earring on his right lobe, which gave him something of a jovial look. Wearing purple social pants and a white shirt, the man exuded an aura of laidbackness, evident when he turned to Akira and nonchalantly started to talk with the boy:

"Hey kid, what time is it?"

Akira blinked again, his anger slowly fading out. For a second, he looked down at his hands: now bloody and hurting from the glass. The man followed his gaze and his eyes widened in surprise.

"What the… you okay, kid?", the man questioned, leaning on his direction to take a better look while the crowd still moved besides them.

Akira didn't answer, now thinking about how stupid he was to let his emotions do this to him. The pain started to increase, making him suck his breath and try to stop the drops of blood from falling on the wagon's floor. He turned to the man, nodding his head in dismissal.

"I-I'm good, thank you", he answered, not wanting to involve some stranger in his own affairs. "It was just an accident, I can take care of it myself."

"Yeah, not really", the man snorted. "You seemed really pissed back there. Better not cause trouble or anything like that, or I'll have to arrest ya."

Akira froze upon hearing his words, bad memories coming to the forefront of his mind as if in a flash.

_"You're getting arrested, you little thug!"_ , a voice screamed from his mind, making him shudder.

"Wow, I'm just kidding, relax!", the man waved his hands and smiled apologetically. "Just take care of yourself better, that's all. I don't think I even have the authority to arrest someone in Tokyo."

Akira just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, the man's attitude starting to get at his nerves. Unfortunately, there was no opportunity to squeeze himself through the crowd yet, so instead he satiated his curiosity.

"You a cop?", he asked, trying to sound natural. Okay, after that old lady passes, I jump off too. _Ack_ , why was he thinking like an actual criminal?

"Detective, actually. Aaaand this is totally my stop, and I'm late", he added, to Akira's relief. The man stood up, smiling at the boy and pointed at his bleeding hands. "You should take care of that, man. Blood's supposed to stay inside, you kn-"

Suddenly, he raised his head to the left, an expression of surprise in his face. "Hey, is that _Risette?"_

Akira dumbly followed the direction he looked, seeing no sign of any idols or pop singer, just a regular crowd of people.

"See you around, kid", the man said with a laugh, already walking off before Akira could even turn and say goodbye. He sat there for a few seconds, thinking about the strange conversation he just had. Was every cop, er, _detective_ like that? Back in his hometown, they all seemed the same: surly, serious and, most of all, a bunch of pricks. He sighed, standing up and readying himself to finally leave the train and make his way towards Sojiro Sakura's house, the place where he would life for the next year. But first, he should go to the bathroom and take a look at-

When he opened his hands to look at the damage, he blinked twice: there was not blood. Not cuts. Nothing. On his right palm laid an perfectly normal and intact pair of glasses, as if they were never broken at all. He stood there, his mouth agape, trying to understand _what had just happened_.

"What the…"

" _ **The doors will close soon. Please vacate the wagon."**_

"... _fuck",_ he cursed, picking up his pace and leaving the train. He could think about it later.

* * *

"I'm sure you realize that at any sign of misconduct, you will be expelled, correct?", questioned Principal Kobayakawa after finishing his explanation, adjusting his tie and keeping it from merging with his abnormally fat chin.

"Yes, of course", Akira simply replied, making Sojiro Sakura sigh besides him.

Finding his new guardian's house was simple enough, but Akira didn't expect the catch: he wouldn't be living in his house _per se_ , but instead at his small, retro-decorated coffee shop just on the end of the street. The man, pushing his forties, was tall and lean, with some sort of suave ladies man aura to him, smoking a cigarette and leisurely watching the news when he first arrived at the place. His treatment of Akira was simple, though: don't try any funny stuff, keep your head down, and if anything was missing at the shop, he would be sent straight to juvie. Akira didn't expect less, but it still bothered him that he would be treated like that by basically everyone.

" _So, basically, you tried to help some lady and got the short stick for it. That's what you get for prying in people's business"_ , he had remarked. Akira couldn't help but agree, even if deep inside he considered that philosophy to be deeply disgusting. His own experience with it made sure of that.

"Geez, why did it have to be me…", another voice chimed in, this time coming from a woman standing beside the principal, fidgeting with her arm and looking completely uncomfortable. Sadayo Kawakami, he heard her being called.

She had a short stature, wearing an yellow blouse and a jeans skirt which she adjusted from time to time, adding to her awkwardness at being there. Her brown hair was in disarray, falling to the sides of her head in locks, while her dark eyes had bags under then, a sign of lack of sleep and stress. Akira could only wonder what was the cause.

She was cute, though. Wait, stop thinking that.

"Forgive me, Ms. Kawakami" , the principal adopted an apologetical tone, waving his hand. "All the other teachers had full classes, yours was the only one with vacant seats. Truly, we did not expect to receive a transfer by this point of the year", he added, shaking his head and clacking his tongue, as if in disbelief of such rudeness from Akira: how dare he be expelled and transferred to Shujin Academy?

The woman sighed, crossing her arms at the argument. "Wouldn't a male teacher be more appropriate? I'm not saying I'm not capable, but considering… y'know?"

Akira's criminal streak, murder rate, arson tendency or whatever was pinned on his back? Honestly, if his situation wasn't as dire as it was, he would feel flattered at how dangerous people thought he was.

Kobayakawa and Kawakami kept discussing the details about his transfer, making Akira and Sojiro wait for a couple of minutes just standing there. Sojiro, whose patience Akira found out was short, cleaned his throat and adjusted his hat.

"If you don't mind, may we wrap this up? I've got a Coffee Shop to run, after all", he spoke up, bringing their attention to him. "I'm sure you can pass the rest of the details to him tomorrow."

" _Ah_ , of course, Sakura-san. You two may leave now", the Principal smiled, a view Akira was sure he didn't want to see ever again. "I trust you to keep this boy in line. If he falls out of it, the consequences for him will be disastrous."

"Tell me about it", Sojiro replied dismissively.

The Principal continued. "Kawakami-sensei will be guiding you tomorrow, so you better show up as early as you can", he explained, to which Kawakami rolled her eyes. "That will be all."

Sojiro simply waved his hand in a sloppy 'goodbye', before making his way out with Akira following him. They walked the corridors of the unsurprisingly large school building (it was Tokyo, after all), with Akira taking notice of the many glass showcases with trophies inside, most of them related to volleyball, track and gymnastics. He searched for any sign of baseball teams on the school, before the memory soured his mood. Not even his sport colleagues spared him back home.

"School never changes, eh?", Sojiro suddenly commented, scratching his goatee. "Never did like it, to be honest. Even so, anyone who gives up on it is a pushover to the country. You should remember that."

Akira nodded tiredly. He was more than aware of his situation, even more so with people reminding him every five seconds. Even so, up until this point, the older man had made little to no attempt to make small talk with him, simply grumbling or complaining about the whole situation. Akira decided to bite this opportunity to make things less antagonistic between them.

"Why didn't you like scholl?", he tried.

Sojiro snorted. "What a dumb question. Back then, school was way more strict. Nowadays, you can carry your phone around, dress how you want, basically do anything. You young ones have it easy", he explained, sounding even older than he actually was. "Besides, there were some incidents back in my time. My school almost got closed."

"What happened?"

Sojiro hummed, trying to remember some detail or another. "Some transfer student disappeared not a week after arriving. The school in uproar, parents taking their kids away and stuff like that", he explained, stepping down the stairs to the first floor. "There was a whole investigation going, but it lead to nothing. Never found out what happened."

Akira nodded, wondering if being a transfer student brought bad luck. "That sucks", he dumbly replied, making Sojiro sigh in annoyance.

"Why did I even tell you that? Come on, let's go already."

Exiting the school, they quickly made their way towards Sojiro's car, a vintage model which matched it's owner way too perfectly. They entered the vehicle, Sojiro turning on the engines and switching the radio on.

" _ **No news on the cause of the sudden mental breakdowns that have been happening constantly this year. Authorities believe that…"**_

" _Ugh_ , can't things be normal for a single day?", Sojiro grumbled under his breath, while Akira kept quietly looking through the window.

Up until now, it had all felt like some dream: something he would simply wake up and never think about again. He would have his friends back, he would keep living in his hometown, he would start to date Aiko and everything would be normal. But the reality of it all began to set in as soon as he met Sojiro and came to the school, being the recipient of distrust, prejudice and scrutiny. That day, he knew that his entire year would be filled with that feeling, that anger deep inside, that need to tell people that they were _wrong_ , that he didn't do anything. That the true culprit was that man, that…

_Monster._

Akira took a deep breath, the memory of that hallucination peeking through the corner of his mind. _It wasn't real_ , he reminded himself. Nothing like that could exist, you were under stress. That's it.

"Hey, you okay?", asked Sojiro besides him. "I don't want you passing out in my car."

Akira simply nodded, his nerves calming down. He would never say anything about gold monsters to anyone. He would accept his fate and keep his head down, and maybe, _maybe_ , if he was lucky, his record would be cleaned after his probation.

_Nothing out of the ordinary will happen_ , he promised, returning to look through the window as the car left the school grounds. He took notice of a cat, a black and white cat roaming around the place near the school's gate, and wondered if the school had some sort of pet. Maybe he could help taking care of it, raise his reputation around and let people see he was just a normal kid studying at a normal school.

What was _not_ normal was the tiny piece of metal shaped like an arrow the cat had curled on his tail, its grip tightened as if he was holding a precious item. Akira blinked and rubbed his eyes, as if they were playing tricks on him.

The cat then turned, _looked at him_ , and sprinted off, disappearing on some bushes still carrying the object with its tail, leaving Akira with his mouth open in disbelief.

Akira decided he should seek help. Psychological help.

* * *

Josuke Higashikata had a complicated life.

To anyone around him, it was something far from obvious: he had settled down as a police officer after graduating, following the footsteps of his late grandfather, and after almost a decade in the force, had been promoted to detective. Such job in a quiet town like Morioh would certainly lead to a boring and uneventful life, far from the romantic notion of detectives from fiction. Other than a series of disappearances a few years back, the town was nothing more than a footnote on Japan's maps, a place hardly worth remembering.

And, as Josuke had known for almost two decades, anyone who said such things was completely wrong. Not only the town had the appearance of new strange people with bizarre abilities almost on a monthly basis, but the carefree detective was also the bastard son of one of the biggest moguls in the USA, amassing a fortune of billions and having close ties with the Speedwagon Foundation, another multinational conglomerate. Instead of enjoying a lofty life as an heir, he dedicated himself to a duty to his town and his friends, something he intended to uphold even to the point of refusing to receive his part of the inheritance of the late Joseph Joestar, same as his half-sister. A part of the money would instead be directed to the education of Shizuka Joestar in america, with the rest to be send to charity and other investments to the more discreet sectors of the Speedwagon Foundation. Life was _far_ from simple for Josuke Higashikata, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

Except, of course, when his nephew called. At those moments, he wished for some well deserved peace.

Jotaro Kujo had put it bluntly: something strange is happening in Tokyo, something the public was calling 'mental shutdowns'. As none of them were dumb, the obvious answer was some sort of Stand ability of moderate to high level of danger, a matter that should be swiftly resolved if Jotaro was in the case. The man had spent decades dealing with Stand users all over the world (to the detriment of his relationship with his daughter, but that was another matter), so that would be a piece of cake, easy peasy.

" _Actually, Josuke, I'm calling you for this exact reason. I want_ _ **you**_ _to go",_ the man had said, and Josuke skipped a beat.

The fact was that Jotaro was dealing with some situation in Naples that would take a few months to resolve, so he instead turned to his most trusted and capable ally: his uncle. Josuke had thrown in a few arguments, ranging from lack of experience to a broken pinky toe, but ultimately, if Dr. Jotaro Kujo asked you to do something, you do it.

The thing that irked Josuke was the fact that some strings had needed to be pulled. His own record as a detective was impeccable, of course, but he was no bigshot or had any notoriety outside of a few prefectures. He couldn't simply jump to Tokyo unannounced, hop at the Prosecutor's Office and say 'okay, I'm in charge now': he had the help of the Foundation's contacts, the kind of help that his Joestar side had counted on for a century, if his old man was to be believed. In most occasions, Stand Incidents could be dealt quietly, with little to no involvement with the police, but this case had been on the news for months, so the Foundation couldn't simply solve it themselves: they had to involve the Investigation Team.

And so, Detective Josuke Higashikata stood in front of the SIU Director's office, dressed in his best dark suit, his best pants and polished shoes, and swallowed dry. As he rose the floors of the building, many officers and prosecutors had stared at him from a distance, noticing two things:

One, that the heir of the Joestar empire was here by pure nepotism and probably just wanted the glory of being a part of the mental shutdowns, one of the toughest cases to crack in the SIU history.

And two, that he was wearing a purple suit with golden details.

Okay, the second part he was used to, but the first one was something that kept nagging him over and over. He had refused the inheritance for a reason: he wanted to make big by his own merits, not because he was the son of someone important. As much as Joseph and Josuke had been close in the years between their first meeting and his eventual death, he would never take the place of his grandfather, who server with pride and honor as a cop, defending their hometown from danger and dying because of it. This time, he had to prove himself not only to Jotaro, but to the entire Investigation Unit.

" _Hm. I wonder if Crazy Diamond would be considered cheating"_ , he snickered mentally, before knocking on the door.

* * *

From the moment Josuke met Director Musashi, he took a disliking to the man.

"I'm sure you will feel very welcome here in Tokyo, Detective Higashikata", the old man spoke with a friendly tone, masking his own snob attitude. "Your addition to the investigation team came as a surprise, but your reputation precedes you. You were the one who conducted the investigation on the Sendai Murder cases, right?"

Josuke stood in front of his desk, hands on the side of his body in a formal pose, reminiscent of his street cop days. He cleared his throat. "Yes, sir, that would be me", he replied. While the case had been a challenge to investigate, with many false leads, in the end it had been simply a fight between two Stand User gangs, of which one had a user capable of melting enemies depending on the temperature of the room. Scary stuff, but a smart use of the thermostat had won him the fight in minutes.

"Indeed, quite the efficient investigation", the man lied. He didn't gave a shit about some small case in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Or, at least, that had been the description he had been given by the Foundation. He had been warned that in the SIU, you're on your own: everybody there wanted to step on each other's heads on the way to the top. "Don't you think, Niijima-san?"

"I've read the files. Some sloppy reports here and there, but overall an efficient job. Nothing to write home about", commented the woman, standing a few meters from him.

While he had previous knowledge about the Director, he had basically nothing on the current leader of the Mental Shutdown Investigation Team: Prosecutor Sae Niijima. The young, slender ashen haired woman had her arms crossed, analyzing Josuke with scrutiny in her brown eyes, like she was looking at some rat that was chewing on her shoes. Dressed in a form fitting grey suit, she seemed completely on her element, different from Josuke, who was still getting used to the formality and ways of the big city.

"Honestly, Detective Higashikata, I failed to see the reason you were even called here", she bluntly stated. "Is there… _anything_ you could even add to the case?"

_Ah_ , he knew what she was doing. A simple jab to undermine the concurrency.

"As a matter of fact, Niijima-san, I do", he adjusted his tie and his hair, preparing his discourse. "I've been involved in many investigations with elements such as the mental shutdown cases. These kinds of things are usually caused by problems not only on the perpetrators, but the society and community around them. Of course, Tokyo is a big city, but with the help of your professionals, we can narrow down the cause of these phenomenons to precision", he explained. "A single person in unpredictable, but a group of people? The complete opposite. Be it mental stress, some new drug or anything like that, I'm sure I'll be of immense help."

The director hummed and raised his brows, seemingly approvingly. "Yes, I see your point, Detective Higashikata. I found myself agreeing with your opinions. What do you think, Niijima-san?"

The woman placed a hand on her chin, analysing Josuke's perspective, but was unable to find any answer that would help her case. "Can't say I agree or disagree. I'll leave it to your discretion, Director."

Josuke smiled internally, mostly because his bullshit arguments were so convincing. He admittedly had excellent investigation skills, specially with the help of Crazy Diamond, but psychology was far from his field of study. Obviously, he couldn't tell the director that the weird ghost behind some weirdo somewhere in town was the cause of it all.

"Very well then! I'm sure Niijima-san will explain all the details to you, Detective Higashikata", the director rose from the seat while Niijima simply sighed. "Welcome to the investigation team, properly this time!"

Josuke swiftly bowed his head. "Please take care of me, sir", he politely replied. Of course, his transfer to the Team had already been approved, so he would be a part of it whether they wanted or not. But starting with the right food had saved his skin many times before, so he figured it couldn't hurt.

"Would you like to join in for a drink, then?", the Director asked, smiling disarmingly. "What about you, Niijima-san?"

"I'm busy, sorry. I have to look over some files from the case", the woman dryly replied. "And if Higashikata wishes to catch up, I suggest he follows me", she added, passing by Josuke while staring at him with cold eyes, her ashen hair flowing backwards as she almost bumped with his shoulder. Her expensive perfume almost made Josuke cough, but he avoided it by clearing his throat.

"Uh, well", he started, not sure how to follow that. "I think I'll be going now, sir."

"Of course, of course", he replied, and Josuke turned around and made his way to the door, following Sae.

" _Ah_ , before I forget, Detective", he called as Josuke grabbed the handle of the door, making him turn his head. "We have a dressing code here. Please abide to it", said the Director, pointing at the many golden details and patterns on his suit, along with the continuous flux of _'JoJoJoJo'_ sewed on the corners of the cloth.

"Ah, of course sir, I apologize. I'll take care of that immediately!", he happily replied, smiling as if he was an intern on his first day of the job. He left the room, and closed the door, before scoffing.

"What a prick."

* * *

**To be Continued**

* * *

**A/N:** And here I am, back to writing this, a fic I started and then this thing called 2020 fell in my head and knocked me unconscious. For now, have the introduction of a few characters and, well, our good boi (now a 33 year old detective by the point of this story). I'll have fun writing this, so I hope you'll have too.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2:**

**Excuse me While I Touch the Sky Pt.2**

* * *

As the boy ran through the streets for cover, Akira couldn't help but curse himself for not checking the weather beforehand.

The rain had soaked his uniform and hair, making his first day at school already unpleasant even before he arrived at the place properly. All around him, students wearing the dark Shujin uniform could be seen walking and talking, most of them carrying umbrellas or rain capes to protect themselves from the, while not heavy, extremely annoying water from the skies. It hadn't been hard to memorize the trainline he had to take, the only issue being the packed cars and huge lines ate every step of the way, something that was apparently commonplace in Tokyo, the beating heart of Japan. How could people get used to it, he wondered.

Finally, he took cover in front of some fashion store, trying to dry himself at the best of his capability, which was not much considering his clothes were already too wet and humid for him to even pretend he hadn't took the rain face first. He gave up after half a minute, simply leaning on the wall and sighing, quietly waiting for the rain to subside. There was still some time, after all.

While he watched people walking on the streets, he wondered how things would be at Shujin: the prospect of changing schools was never attractive to him, even before being slapped with a criminal record. It was change of pace, of friendships, of routine, of everything, no to mention his newfound hesitation to interact with colleagues. He had no way of knowing whether people knew about his probation, but figured that such thing were naturally interesting gossips: the criminal transfer student, coming to shook our good and peaceful school.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance, already dreading the whole thing. His plan, as always, was to keep quiet and keep his head down, even at the cost of his already hurt pride. He could not, in any form or capacity, cause or be involved in trouble, no matter how small it was. _Any_ sign of trouble would warrant his expulsion and a stay at Juvenile Rehabilitation, a fate worse than death in his opinion.

Keep quiet and keep your head down.

Keep quiet and keep your head down.

"Excuse me, can you tell me what time it is?"

Keep quiet and-

"Huh?", Akira mumbled, raising his head in confusion.

In front of him, stood a tall man with piercing yellow eyes that made Akira quietly gasp and recoil for a second. Wearing a blue suit and an equally blue patterned coconut hat above his silver hair, the man adjusted the scarf around his neck with one hand, while the other casually held an umbrella, protecting its owner and the probably expensive clothing from the rain.

"I asked you the time", the man bluntly repeated in his deep voice, staring at him intently.

For a moment, Akira had lost all words: the man's appearance was too uncanny for even Tokyo's standards, if the internet was to be believed, but it was the way the man looked at him that made Akira hesitant. Was he some weirdo? Some crazy guy? Was he in danger? While he was no weakling, the man's stature was all that he needed to see to be sure he would not win a fight there.

"U-Uh", Akira started, fumbling his pocket for his phone. "It's 7… 7:13."

The man showed no reaction, continuing to simply glare at him as if there was something either very interesting or very despicable on Akira's face. The boy started to get nervous, not too thrilled about being stopped by some freak on his first day of school.

"Sir?", he asked after a few seconds, time in which the man didn't even move a muscle. The stranger leaned his head sideways, squinting his eyes.

"Do you feel it?", the stranger asked, making Akira lift a brow in confusion.

"What?"

"Change is coming. Or rather, an spectacle so bombastic that the entire world will feel its consequences", he answered, placing a hand on his pocket. Akira tensed at that move, readying himself to sprint in case he tried anything. "I wonder if you'll be leading it… or drowning on the mud of ignorance."

What the fuck was he talking about? Akira breathed, calming himself before slowly trying to reason with the lunatic.

"Sir… I don't know what you want, if it is money or anything like that, but…", he started. _But what?_ , he questioned himself mentally. "... if you continue to bother me, I'll have to call the police."

The man once again showed no reaction for some time, before slowly taking his hand off his pocket once again. Akira braced himself for a knife or a gun or anything, but the thing the stranger held was something entirely different.

A blue butterfly, casually perched on the man's finger and slowly flapping its wings. Akira's eyes widened in surprise, something that the man took notice.

"I assumed that an awakening would be necessary, but it seems you already have what it takes", he once again spoke in riddles. "Perhaps just a little push will suffice."

With a gentle movement of his finger, the stranger made the butterfly move and fly around in the air before landing on Akira's phone, which he now noticed he still held in his hands.

Before he could say anything, the butterfly _glowed._

"Well then… _let's start the game_ ", he heard the stranger say quietly. Akira gasped and blinked, raising his head to face the stranger once again. His tricks were quite impressive, and whatever nonsense he was spouting surely made sense inside his head, but he _really needed to-_

But the stranger, along with the butterfly, was already gone.

"Hey, are you okay?", another voice came from beside him, different from the one before.

Akira blinked in confusion at the disappearance of the stranger, looking around him for any clue of his whereabouts before noticing the person that had asked him a question. And when he did, he had to control his own jaw so it didn't drop.

The girl's blonde hair was the first thing he noticed: the color of sand, lazily reflecting the daylight and tied in two ponytails, one on each side of her head. Her face seemed to be, for a lack of a better expression, sculpted to perfection, with a small nose and pink lips open, her green eyes showing some concern over Akira, for some reason or another.

"What?", he asked, now stunned not only by the bizarre man that talked to him earlier, but the beauty that stood there talking to him.

"Oh, sorry", she apologized, waving a hand dismissively. "You seemed like you weren't well, so I got worried. You were spacing out, looking at nowhere, so I thought something had happened."

Akira raised a brow at her words: spacing out? Wasn't he talking to that stranger just a few seconds ago? And when did that girl get there? He didn't notice her arrival before.

"What the…", he paused, deciding to not talk about it. Was the man just an hallucination? He seemed like it: the bizarre get up, his weird yellow eyes and that strange blue butterfly all looked like something straight from a dream. "I-I'm okay, thank you."

The blonde smiled and tightened the grip on her bag, making Akira look down and notice she was wearing the same Shujin uniform as him. Well, 'the same' was not exactly true: while the boy did his best to wear his uniform prim and proper, as a normal and uneventful student would, the girl wore a white sports jacket above hers along with red stockings covering her legs, something he didn't see any other female student on the street wear. She seemed to have some fashion sense, apparently.

He quickly got his bearings back, turning his gaze away from the girl: he didn't want to creep her out with his stare. His mind raced for a few seconds, thinking about the strange events that seemed to be happening around him on the last few days: the lack of cuts on his hands, where he gripped broken glasses with all the strength of his grip; the strange cat carrying something with its tail as if it was entirely natural; the weirdo that just spoke cryptic things and disappeared suddenly. All these things made him consider that he was losing his mind: maybe the events of the last month had messed him in the head? It wasn't a far fetched idea. The stress and frustration had brought him on the brink of rage more times than he could count. He began considering if he hadn't gone mad.

But then again, if he was questioning his own mental faculties, didn't that mean he was still sane?

Suddenly, a car pulled over, interrupting his train of thoughts. The window was rolled down, revealing a large muscular man on the driver's seat, his curly hair coming down on the sides of his head and his chin larger than anyone's Akira had seen in his life. The man smiled, not at him, but at the blonde girl besides him.

"Hey, Takamaki-chan!", he called in a overtly casual tone. "It's raining pretty hard, would you like a ride?"

In the corner of his eye, he saw the blonde flinch. He raised a brow not only at that, but the whole situation: did she knew this man? Or it was just another weirdo? To his surprise, her reaction was simply to smile forcefully and nod her head, walking towards the car's door. After she sat down, the man turned to him, still smiling.

"What about you?", he asked.

Before Akira could even formulate a response, the look on the man's eyes spelled everything to him: _"fuck off"_. Even if he was smiling, his glare was a simple and effective warning, his eyes glinting in an unspoken threat. Akira stood silent for a moment, before forcing himself to smile and wave, denying the ride.

" _Suit yourself"_ , the man kept smiling while he rolled up the window and started the car, driving away and leaving Akira alone. The last thing he saw was the girl's downcast face, before the car disappeared from his sight.

Akira didn't have time to ponder about the situation before hearing loud footsteps approaching him, making the boy turn to his side to see the source of the noise: another Shujin student was running at all speed in his direction, huffing and sweating as he passed by Akira e came to an abrupt stop.

He growled and kicked the ground in frustration, scratching his head. " _Shit_ , they got away. Screw that pervy teacher!"

"Pervy… teacher?", Akira repeated, confused.

His phone rumbled suddenly, making the boy look down to check it. To his surprise, a strange app icon appeared out of nowhere: it was blue, with an stylized _V_ as its symbol, the icon itself vibrating within the phone's screen. Akira raised a brow, but before he could react, the other student suddenly approached him with an angry posture.

"Who the hell are you?", he demanded, leaning on Akira with a scowl. "You gonna rat me out to Kamoshida?"

The phone vibrated again, but Akira didn't notice: he was distracted by the stranger's abrasive attitude towards him, seemingly out of nowhere. The other boy had his hair dyed blonde, even more yellow than the girl who entered the car previously, and wore an outfit more appropriate to a delinquent than a student: his uniform was open and crumpled, showing a red shirt with ' _no mo rulez'_ written in a stylized way. His suspender hanged besides his Shujin pants, with his hands inside his pockets as he eyed Akira with scrutiny.

Akira, taken aback for a second, simply blurted a question. "Kamoshida?"

"Yeah, Kamoshida! Who do you think that was?", the blond barked, before his expression became one of confusion. "Wait, you don't know Kamoshida? You're Shujin, right? How the hell you don't know him?"

"Uh, i just got here. I'm a transfer student", Akira explained, now a bit annoyed by the blond's jump to conclusions. "I have no idea who this Kamoshida is."

The other boy blinked for a second, before scratching the back of his head embarrassed. "Oh shit, sorry about that. I thought you were going to snitch on me", he apologized, returning his scowl. "But some advice: stay away from Kamoshida. That creep is nothing but trouble!"

Akira nodded, still a bit confused. "R-Right, okay", he agreed, now considering the advice for real: the look on that guy's face wasn't very friendly, even with the wide smile he wore. He planned to keep his distance. "No need to tell me twice. He's got a weird vibe about him."

Akira winced internally after the words left his mouth. Don't say shit like that so carelessly! _Shut up and keep you he-_

"I know, right!", the blonde nodded vigorously, interrupting Akira's thoughts. "Even some new guy like you could tell! It's like its written on his face, ' _i'm an asshole!'"_

Akira paused, a bit surprised. He had grown so accustomed to keep his opinions to himself that someone actually agreeing with him was something to take notice of. Of course, considering the apparent delinquent he was speaking to, he wasn't surprised that the other boy shared his view. It seemed that he and that teacher had some history.

"Oh _shit!_ ", he suddenly cursed, looking at his phone. "It's almost First Period! We gotta go!"

Akira cursed internally after checking his own phone and confirming it: if he didn't run, he would be late. But the other thing that caught his attention was the weird app from before: it was now pulsating even harder, like it was loading something. Akira quickly swept the app towards the trash bin, deleting it. Fucking malwares. He should clean his phone some time.

"Come on, I know a shortcut", the blond called him, pointing at some alley not far from where they stood. Akira considered his options for a few seconds, before coming to the conclusion that he didn't have a choice: being late for school would be the death of him, after all.

As they made their way towards the school, Akira pondered about the blond in front of him, wondering what kind of person he was. He didn't react in any negative way after finding out he was a transfer student, on the contrary: he seemed relieved. Could that mean that his reputation hadn't reached the school? Akira could only hope. Other than that, he seemed like an OK guy, contrasting with his obviously abrasive attitude. Akira wondered of he should make any friends at Shujin, but never had placed much thought on it: who knew how they would treat them there?

But his social nature got the better of him, making Akira speed up and walk alongside the other boy.

"I'm sorry, i didn't introduce myself", he said, a bit too politely. "I'm Akira Kurusu, second year."

The blond was taken by surprise, apparently not used to people talking to him like that. Was it because of his politeness, or because not many people even spoke with him? His attitude usually drove people back, by Akira's experience.

"Oh, damn, you're right", he snickered. "Name's Ryuji Sakamoto, second year too. You just got here, right? What class you in?"

They entered the alley, making their way across trash cans and one or two puddles.

"Don't know yet", Akira answered, getting more comfortable with the conversation. "My homeroom teacher is… well, a woman with short brown hair? Kinda small?", he gesture towards his chest, where he deducted the woman's height reached.

"Oohh, that's Kawakami, so you're in 2-D", he explained, before scrunching his face. "Man, good luck. I hear she's been on a bad mood lately."

Akira nodded, remembering the woman's distaste towards him when they met, and apparently to everything around her. Just his luck: couldn't he be on a class with a less sour teacher?

The dark haired boy let curiosity get the better of him after a few moments, remembering what happened before.

"What about that Kamoshida guy? Is he a teacher too?", he asked, making the Ryuji scoff.

"Yeah, he teaches P.E., along with coaching the Volleyball team", he explained. "I meant what I said, though: stay away from him. He's gonna make you life hell."

' _Great'_ , thought Akira. Every teacher in the school seemed to be terrible in some degree, but that was usually the norm instead of the exception. Every school had a favorite teacher, after all: he wondered who was Shujin's.

"Is he as bad as it sounds?", he questioned the blond. "You called him… what was it again?"

"A _fucking pervert_ ", Ryuji didn't miss a beat, venom on his words. "I see how he looks at the girls, but nobody does a damn thing: he's an Olympic Champion, get it? 'Suguru Kamoshida, Pride of Shujin Academy' and all that shit. Besides, the volleyball team is always… bruised, beaten. His training is _fucked up_."

Akira raised a brow, now even less eager to enter school. "What? And nobody does a thing?"

" 'course not. They just kiss his ass and let him do whatever he wants", he spoke with anger, rubbing his leg for a second. "It's like he's a king in a castle or some shit like that. Treats students like his slaves."

Akira's phone rumbled, making him slide it off his pocket and take a look at the screen. His eyes widened and he let out a gasp.

"Hey, we're finally there!", said Ryuji, pointing forwards. "Just by the end of the alley. Come on, we're screwed if someone catches us being so late!"

Akira stopped on his tracks, not even listening to Ryuji's words, too busy staring at his phone's screen: the blue app was there again, this time open. The logo was splattered on the screen, a cursive _V_ as a pattern behind three text boxes. While strange in itself, it was the content of the boxes that startled Akira.

_Shujin Academy._

_Castle._

_Suguru Kamoshida._

Was… was that app _listening_ their conversation? Was it some of those spy softwares he had heard in passing about? What the hell was wrong with his phone?

Ryuji noticed his delay, turning back to face Akira with a brow raised. "Hey, you coming or not? We're gonna be late!"

A second after hearing these words, Akira's finger brushed on the phone's touchscreen by accident, making the object vibrate and a robotic voice to come out of it.

" _Shujin Academy. Castle. Suguru Kamoshida"_ , the voice listed, making Akira flinch. " _Beginning navigation. Thank you for using_ _『_ _ **Velvet Underground**_ _ **』**_ _ **."**_

"What the-", Akira heard Ryuji begin to ask, before everything around them started to warp and change, distortion spreading on the ground, walls and even the air around them with a sickly red and purple color.

They disappeared from the alley, an unheard scream on their throats.

* * *

"... is she hot?"

Josuke clicked his tongue in annoyance, adjusting the phone on his ear.

" _Godammit_ , Okuyasu, what does that have to do with anything?", he questioned his longtime friend, who seemed to be munching some well deserved lunch on the other side of the line. If it was Tonio's, he would kill Okayasu.

After a few seconds, Superintendent Okuyasu Nijimura finished chewing his food, releasing a moderately loud burp. He returned to the call.

"Well, I mean, you said she practically wanted to kick you out of the building judging by the way she looks and talks to you", said Okuyasu, snickering. "So I figured: _'well, my bro is gonna have a field day'_."

"That's some shitty logic, man. What does that even mean?"

" _Oh,_ don't even try to lie to me, you dog!", Okuyasu barked. " _I know you like it!_ Remember Rina? From last summer?"

"Okuyasu, she was _clinically insane._ "

"Uh, _yeah,_ but you were still chasing after her like a puppy! I know you more than you know yourself, bro. Just ask Koichi."

"S-Shuddup!", Josuke pleaded, exasperated. He cleared his throat. " _Anyway,_ did Jotaro-san call?", he asked, desperate to change the subject.

Okuyasu resumed his lunch, judging by the sounds he was making. " _Nobe,_ not a word. He did say he would be gone for a while, right? Something about that Giovanna fella? Did he say anything to you?"

"Nah, he just said it was Foundation business. Some shady stuff, by the looks of it", Josuke sighed. If Jotaro were here, things would be _so much_ easier.

"Speaking of shady", Okuyasu snickered again, his voice now closer to the receiver. "You went to any red light district yet? Had any fun?"

" _Okay,_ that's it. Bye, Okuyasu!", he groaned in frustration, his finger going straight for the 'end call' button.

" _Oioioioi, Josuke!_ Wait! You forgot something!", Okuyasu pleaded on the other side, making Josuke raise a brow.

"What?"

There was silence for a few seconds, before Josuke began to _feel_ the shit eating grin on Okuyasu's face.

"Is she hot or not?"

"Okuyasu, I _swear to god,_ I-"

"Detective Higashikata", a stern voice called him from the door of his office, making Josuke quickly turn. Lo and behold, Sae Niijima stood there, arms crossed and a serious expression on her face.

" _Ohh, so she_ _ **is**_ _hot, I can tell by her vo-"_

Josuke quickly ended the call, placing his phone on his desk and smiling towards Niijima.

"How can I help you, Niijima-san?"

The woman raised a brow, before shaking her head with a sigh. "Follow me. I need to introduce you to someone", she simply stated, before turning to look at Josuke's computer screen. "I assume you've read the files I sent you?"

"Of course", he answered, truthfully: he spent the entire night skimming through the dozens of cases registered on the last few months. Mental shutdowns, psychotic breakdowns, all sorts of freak accidents and tragedies caused by unknown means. "I even came up with a few conclusions", he added, rising from his seat and accompanying Sae, the two making their way through the corridors of the SIU.

"Really?", Sae questioned in a not-really-impressed tone. "Then by all means, speak your mind."

Josuke adjusted his tie, ready to be scrutinized once again, like all previous interactions with the ice cold Prosecutor.

"Well, most of the victims seemed to be in high ranking positions, like government officers, ministers or Zaibatsu members", he explained, ignoring the looks from the other officers who they passed along the corridor. "The last incident involved the Minister of Transport, even if the victim itself was the machinist. With that, we can assume there are no coincidences: whoever is behind it has a clear agenda. If common people were targeted, most would assume it to be simply the consequence of stress."

"That is obvious, Detective", Sae replied, not even looking at him. Both entered the elevator, with the woman pressing the Floor button. "It doesn't take a genius to make such connections. The question here is _who_ and _why_ they are doing this, and most importantly _how_. You simply stated _what_ they are doing."

Josuke fidgeted on the spot, placing his hands on his pockets. "You have to admit this is like no case anyone in Japan has ever seen, Niijima-san. We don't have any evidence or trustworthy witnesses, so it's to be expected that this investigation would be in a slump."

"Yes, and apparently their solution was to send some country boy to help in the investigation", Sae replied with venom. "With the amount of fingers already messing it up, I only expect that you don't mess it up even more."

Josuke tried to ignore her icy words, staring at the floor's number. 24. _Fuck_ , it would be a long ride.

"I'm trying to help, Niijima-san. This kind of issue cannot be solved by some small team, no matter how good they are at their jobs", Josuke argumented, trying to reason with her. "I know my methods are different from city detectives and prosecutors, but I think there's good in viewing the case in another light. Maybe more evidence will come up."

" _Oh, really?_ ", Sae suddenly turned to him, her glare cutting holes on him. "So tell me: what revolutionary method of investigation could _you_ bring to this case?"

' _My ghost friend can punch really hard'_ , he considered answering, but instead simply cleared his throat.

"Field investigation. I have contacts with the ground police, I could serve as a better proxy between them and the Investigation Team", he explained, this time being honest: he had a few acquaintances on the Tokyo Force, with only a few of them being Foundation connections. Josuke was nothing if not social. "Gathering information from close relatives, witnesses where we can find them, whoever is connected to the cases even if by mere chance. I have experience from my days on the force."

She scoffed. "This is very different from arresting vagrants, Detective."

" _People have eyes and ears_ , Prosecutor", he answered, now a bit annoyed by her cold demeanor. While he understood her behaviour, it was starting to test his patience. "And, as you know, people nowadays tend to distrust government officials and higher ups like yourself, no offense. I _know_ how to talk with civilians, trust me: it was my job."

Sae scowled, definitely offended.

"This is not some rural town, Detective. We can't simply conquer their _hearts and minds_ , or whatever it is that you intend: we need to search for evidence in a city with more than 9 million habitants", she argued, waving her right hand. "We _don't have time_ to meticulously investigate every corner of every block where every person connected to the victims lives. We need _solid_ evidence, not some wild goose chase."

"Isn't that what you've been doing until this point?", Josuke placed his hands on his hips, leaning on her direction with a scowl of his own. "Why are you so against a change of tactics?!"

"Simply because I don't trust your ability to even grasp the dimension of this case", Sae spat back, crossing her arms and standing in front of him, the two now entering a staring contest.

Josuke took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. No good would come off antagonizing the prosecutor, he knew that, but her behaviour made it very difficult.

Even so, he took the bait.

"And _why_ is that, Prosecutor?"

She closed a bit of the distance between the two, allowing Josuke to see every detail of her brown iris' glaring at him with contempt.

"Because I simply _don't trust your skills,_ 'detective'. It's easy to reach high places when you have the right connections, right?", she spat, making Josuke freeze at her words. "Joestar might not be around anymore, but I assume he gave his son considerable help with his rising careers before he passed, am I wrong?"

She leaned back, scoffing. "I simply cannot trust the skills of someone like that. Someone unwilling to fight for his own place, unwilling to sacrifice anything for his own future", she said, before deciding to twist the knife even further. "You are simply the product of _other people's efforts._ "

Something deep inside Sae stirred, trying to hold back her venomous words. It was entirely too cruel, after all: to mention his late father, to diminish his career entirely, to belittle his ability to do his job. Even so, she had her own reasons: he was not needed in the case. She was simply stating the truth, hoping he would back off.

She was entirely wrong.

Josuke held back for long seconds, his teeth gritting and his glare turning into a cold look which made Sae widen her eyes. He slowly closed the distance between them, leaning on her once again.

"Listen to me, _prosecutor_ ", he started, his voice devoid of any of the life it held before. "I don't know what kind of conclusions go off in your head to make you say something like that, but let me be clear on one thing: _you don't know me."_

"You can despise me, try to take me off the case, give me the cold shoulder, but never, _never_ try to assume you know the things I have been through before. You think I'm some simple yokel on his first time in the big city? _Fine_ , it's not far from the truth. You wanna tell me that just because my father was Joseph Joestar I'm a fruit of nepotism? Some golden bastard who suddenly saw himself with a yellow brick road towards his future? _Fine,_ think what you want."

"But you _never, ever,_ say that I made no sacrifice. That I never lost anything, that _I never saw any friends die in front of me_. You wouldn't understand half the shit I had to do to be alive today, half the shit I had to do to _protect those I care about_."

He paused for a moment, watching Sae stand her ground with a mix of confusion and defiance on her face.

"Never for a moment I thought of belittling your own efforts, Niijima. You know why?", he asked, not waiting for her response. "Because I hate people who judge by the cover. I _don't know you,_ i don't know what took you to get here, and I don't know what 'sacrifices' you had to make. _I respect you_."

"And in return, I expect some respect back. Are we clear?"

The staring contest continued for a while, their noses almost touching as none of them were willing to back down. Sae stared at the deep green of his eyes, full of defiance and fire, while Josuke stared back at her brown orbs filled with wavering judgement. Sae mulled over his words internally, but held her ground as a matter of honor. No matter what that _infuriating_ man said, she would not be put down.

Josuke prayed that his words made her come to her senses even if a little bit, tired of her constant doubts about him. His little speech was the better he could do, fueled by the anger her words had stirred on him. That _infuriating_ woman had no right to question his own trials and sacrifices.

Before any of them could say a word, the elevator stopped with a ding, its doors opening. A single person stood in front of it, suddenly gasping at the scene: Sae Niijima and Josuke Higashikata staring each other down, so close and with so much anger in the air it was a miracle no one had thrown a punch.

"Am I interrupting something?", Goro Akechi innocently asked, with a silly smile on his face.

* * *

**< To be Continued -**

* * *

**A/N:** Hello again, my dudes. I'm considering making the chapters longer, at least 10k words long. Make sure to state your preference by **reviewing** the chapter.

Also, another important note: a few months back, I finished Royal.

I guess you know what that means.

After much consideration, I decided to incorporate elements from the new stuff (mostly characters), so be advised: There will be Royal spoilers :(

So, from this moment onwards, this will be a **P5/Royal/JoJo fic**. For anyone worried about pacing, relax: I'll be making **severe** changes, enough so the story has a proper structure.

And, as it's not yet clear, a **lot of shit will be different from Persona and JoJo canon** , but almost exclusively regarding the rules of metaverse stuff, _how_ stealing of hearts work, Velvet Room, gods of control, Stands and stuff like that. It _is_ a crossover after all.

See you next time.


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